Sunday, March 29, 2015

Sometimes it takes other people doing really dumb things to make you realize what kind of decisions you should not be making in your own life.

I happen to drive a particular type of vehicle which causes others with the same vehicle to acknowledge me when they see me driving down the road. It drives my wife nuts. "Seriously, do you all really have to do that?" Yes, as a matter of a fact we do. It's the kind of bond we have. Folks who don't drive this particular vehicle would never understand it.

The thing is, though, my connection with these individuals stop with the type of vehicle we choose to drive. Men who happen to share my race have a deeper connection to me regardless of what type of car they drive, what they do for a living, or where they happen to live. Unfortunately society made it that way.

So recently there were two incidents involving men of color which caused me to say: Really Negroes?!

The first one is from right here in my hometown of Philadelphia.

"A Philadelphia police officer was charged Saturday with DUI and aggravated assault after he was discovered shortly after midnight inside his damaged police vehicle, police said.

Darryl Cathey, 26, a six-year veteran, was charged after he was seen driving the damaged vehicle and parking it at the 12th District station on 6500 Woodland Ave., police said.Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey ordered Cathey suspended for 30 days with intent to dismiss.Cathey pulled up to the station in the car with three flat tires and bent rims, a 12th District sergeant said.

The sergeant described Cathey as having bloodshot eyes and the smell of alcohol on his breath. He was not aware his vehicle had been damaged, police said.As Cathey was being taken into custody, he allegedly began struggling with the supervisor and other officers from the 12th District. He was taken to a police detention unit for DUI.." [Source]

I think I am speechless.

Then there is this other fellow from Fresno, California. (See my HNOTD)

"The arrest of Fresno Police Deputy Chief Keith Foster has sent shockwaves of disbelief throughout the city of Fresno. The high-ranking deputy chief is one of six people facing a slew of federal charges.

Foster is accused of working with accomplices to deal oxycodone, pot and heroin. The nearly 30-year police department veteran, his lawyer said, could hardly believe it himself.

"That has transferred to him personally and emotionally. He's very upset about that. He loves law enforcement, and now he is dealing with this," said Marshall Hodgkins, Foster's lawyer.

After a federal court arraignment Friday, Foster and another suspect -- Jennifer Donabedian -- were both released from custody. Of the six suspects they are the only two without criminal histories. Donabedian's attorney says that was the main reason for their release.

"She's obviously thoroughly scared. I mean, she's a young lady that's never been in trouble before," said Gerald Schwab, Donabedian's lawyer.

Schwab says Donabedian is a lifelong Fresno resident who's dating Denny Foster -- another suspect. Denny is Keith Foster's nephew. Schwab maintains his client's innocence and believes she may have been roped in by association.

"I think people are kind of jumping to some conclusions based on kind of what's been put out on the Internet or on TV or in the newspapers that may not be perfectly jiving with the facts," said Schwab.

Suspect Randy Flowers, 48, is also related to Keith Foster. But it's unclear how the final two suspects -- Sarah Ybarra and Rafael Guzman -- became involved in the alleged drug ring. Guzman is a felon who's been convicted of drug charges in the past. "[Source]

If what is being alleged about these two individuals is in fact true, it is both sad and tragic.

It's sad. Two men representing their community, their families, and the cities that they are sworn to protect; allegedly commit acts to betray the public trust.

I will close this post how I started it:

Sometimes it takes other people doing really dumb things to make you realize what kind of decisions you should not be making in your own life.

35 comments:

Field, I think it may be time for you to try and do some real writing. You do a good job of encapsulating the writing of others, but there's little of you in it. Have you considered writing a book? Perhaps an original project of that scope would help you to step outside this zone of comfort you have created on your blog. You have the makings of an excellent writer, but something seems to be holding you back.

On the bright side... if the Philly cop hit another car, the city will be on the hook for all expenses.

Of course that will be a little less money to help people, keep the streets clean or pick up the weekly garbage.

Funny the system the ruling class set up in order to have their "alleged" crimes paid for by taxpayers.

Men who happen to share my race have a deeper connection to me regardless of what type of car they drive, what they do for a living, or where they happen to live. Unfortunately society made it that way.

Don't blame society for your choices in life.

Should the boy from the fraternity have gone along with his society or made the choice to stand up and do the right thing?

"Darryl Cathey, 26, a six-year veteran, was charged after he was seen driving the damaged vehicle and parking it at the 12th District station on 6500 Woodland Ave., police said."

This fellow is, or 'was' an alcoholic. It's the depression that follows the booze that killed him. It's too bad because he was only 26 years old and had his life ahead of him. There was something else going on in his life that he had a hard time coping with...R.I.P.

But seriously, maybe it's because I live in Chicago but cops are famous for driving drunk. I mean swerving seeing double drunk. Let's not even talk about the judge in Pennsylvania who was stealing coke and throwing the book at the dealers. I think if you post a story about an honest cop/judge that would be something. These professions attract a certain personality type you deal with them everyday, you know the deal.

Lilac, "Field I realize that was the only way you could answer that and your way of being nice,but, sheeeet, the nerve of that jerk!"

10:42 AM-------------Field has many ways of communicating with people. Sometimes he slams commenters and other times he compliments them. Other times he insults and other times he "thanks" them for their kind words.

So you see, Field is quite capable of saying what he means. Too bad you think he doesn't. That is an insult to his intelligence and manhood.

"There are NO putdowns in the compliment to Field. It's 'your'thoughts that are mistaken. Anon AND Field both know it was a compliment. It's YOU who has it wrong."~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Okay fine Anon! Then I hereby extend an olive branch of peace to you with my sincere apologies.

"As far as minding one's own business, why don't you take your own advice and butt out of comments directed to Field and NOT YOU?"

2:36 PM~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lets just say I'm a contentious person :)or a stickler for semantics xD, or too suspicious, or to caustic.

But actually this is a public blog and I have as much right to give my opinion as anybody else. That you take offense and get livid is another story :)

Field, I think it may be time for you to try and do some real writing. You do a good job of encapsulating the writing of others, but there's little of you in it. Have you considered writing a book? Perhaps an original project of that scope would help you to step outside this zone of comfort you have created on your blog. You have the makings of an excellent writer, but something seems to be holding you back.

7:36 PM~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So you are saying that Field always just cut's and pastes other's work. Without putting anything of his substance/thoughts in it?

You are saying that he should undertake something "original" like a book, something of that "scope" so he can "step outside" of this little "comfort zone" he has "created on his blog" (where he just lolls comfortably around, hahaha)

You are saying that he has the "makings" of an excellent writer. So in your opinion he is now not an excellent writer?

But you are saying "something seems to be holding you back".

Ahaa ahahahaa! Some compliments! omaigah! 0-0

FYI The Field has written many fine articles of his own inspiration. He does cut and paste when he finds something of value for us to read!Which we appreciate, (well some of us only obviously).

I could go on but all I'm saying is that I will be watching you :)Gotta go make a carrot cake now, with cream cheese frosting :) Yum!

TWEET ME

@fieldnegro

Follow the The Field Negro via e-mail.

DISCLAIMER

*COMMENTS, LINKS, AND CUT AND PASTE ARTICLES, ARE NOT ALL ENDORSED BY THE PUBLISHER.

THIS BLOG claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.

MORE DISCLAIMERS

***The views expressed on this site are the field's and the field's alone. They do not reflect the views of his employer, or any professional or legal organization with which he is affiliated.***

This is a commercial free blog.

Money is nice, but being able to speak my mind is better.

"Real talk: Daniel Rubin has a great little piece up wherein he chats with The Field Negro, the Philly-based blogger who sharply ponders all things black on a daily basis. (Seriously, if you’ve never checked in with TFN, you should: Its author, Wayne Bennett, is a fantastic read who can cut through bullshit like a hot knife through butter, which is a far grosser analogy than I wanted to make, but there you have it.)" ~Philebrity~

"One of the most precocious and hilarious Black political minds on the net. Ive been a long-time fan!" ~Asad Malik~

"..While most of what he writes is tongue-in-cheek, his space is a safe house for candid discussions about race, especially in the comments section, where people of all colors meet."~~Daniel Rubin, "The Philadelphia Inquirer"~~

"To white people, Bennett's musings are like kitchen-table talk from a kitchen they may otherwise never set foot in. To African Americans, he is part of a growing army of black Internet amateurs who have taken up the work once reserved for ministers and professional activists: the work of setting a black agenda, shaping black opinion and calling attention to the state of the nation's racial affairs."

~~Richard Fausset, "L.A. Times"~~~

"That's why I love the blog "Field Negro" so much. Field, as he's known to his fans, has the sense of reality that it takes to call out the (CowPuckey) of blame beating by those who are in positions of power and their lackeys. Because of his handle and his unabashed way of writing about racial issues, Field is often cited as a "Black blogger." What he is, however, is a first-class detector of blame deflection and an excellent student of history. If you want to write about the past and future of repression there's really no other perspective to take - which is why everyone should read Field."

"Half a century after Little Rock, the Montgomery bus boycott and the tumultuous dawn of the modern civil rights era, the new face of the movement is Facebook, MySpace and some 150 black blogs united in an Internet alliance they call theAfroSpear.

Older, familiar leaders such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton and NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, are under challenge by a younger generation of bloggers known by such provocative screen names as Field Negro, thefreeslaveand African American Political Pundit. And many of the newest struggles are being waged online."~Howard Witt-The Chicago Tribune~

"I had no idea, for example, of the extent of the African-American blogging world out there and its collective powers of dissemination.But now, after reading thousands of anguished, thoughtful comments posted on these blogs reflecting on issues of persistent racial discrimination in the nation's schools and courtrooms, what's clear to me is that there's a new, "virtual" civil rights movement out there on the Internet that can reach more people in a few hours than all the protest marches, sit-ins and boycotts of the 1950s and 60s put together." ~Chicago Tribune Reporter, Howard Witt~